Fundamentals of Shooting

There are many different ways to shoot the ball in soccer. Like other fundamental skills, some of them are basic and others are more advanced. When a player wants to kick the ball with optimum power, the instep drive is the technique that is most often used. There is a hard bone on the center top of the foot (towards the inside). This is the primary contact point for the instep drive. Because of its proximity to the shoelaces, this is also referred to as a “laces” kick.

The fundamental coaching points for basic instep drive shooting From the Nose to the Toes are:

1.Head down … eye on the ball
2.Plant the non-kicking foot along side the ball, pointing it in the direction you want the ball to go
3.Pick a spot near the center of the ball, and strike the ball at, or slightly above, this spot
4.Knee of the kicking leg is over the ball to make sure the shot stays low to the ground
5.Instep is “locked” toe down and the ankle is flexed up in the direction of the calf
6.Approach is slightly from the side, not dead on
7.Follow through

That sounds simple enough … let’s break the elements down one by one:

First: Head down. Just like in passing, the “head up” component of shooting comes before the actual shot. In other words, you must already have picked out your target before you shoot the ball. Why is your head down? In order to strike the ball correctly, you must have proper eye-foot coordination.

Second: Plant foot. This is important because if you plant your foot behind the ball your kicking foot is coming up as you strike, leading to undercutting the ball. You want the ball to travel in a straight line with some “weight” on it, so plant your foot beside the ball and point it at the target.

Third: Picking a spot on the ball. If you kick too low, you’ll undercut the ball. If you pick too high, you’ll “top” it. Pick the sweet spot on the ball.

Fourth: The knee of the kicking leg is over the ball. This technique determines the correct body position. If the knee is forward of the ball (which rarely happens), the weight is too far forward and the ball is mis-kicked. If the knee is behind the ball (a far more common occurrence), you will tend to arch your back away from the ball, resulting in a shot with too little power.

Fifth: Instep is locked. A wobbly foot leads to inaccurate and low power shots. Locking the instep (also called “locking the ankle”) is not a natural thing to do, and it is easy to back slide on this technique if you are not constantly paying attention to your form. The kicking foot should be pointed down and locked through the shot (as well as the follow through). If you want to keep the ball low, the toe must be pointed at a downward angle when contact is made. The upper leg (thigh) must be the prime muscle group moving the lower leg through the ball on this kick.

Sixth: Approach from the side. The biggest fault in the instep drive is coming straight at the ball. This leads to toe kicking (which seems quite common and natural for beginning players). Athletes who kick with their toes rather than their instep think they are getting more power on the ball … this is not true! The more surface area applied to the ball (in this case the instep), all other things being equal, the more accurate and the more powerful will be the shot. The biggest reason not to start kicking with your toe is that it is a bad habit that becomes extremely difficult to break in later years. Take the time to learn the right way now, and you will have far fewer problems in the future. By moving in slightly from the side, you naturally tend to want to kick with the instep instead of the toe.

Seventh: Follow through. A common mistake is the lack of a follow through … kick through the ball. Don’t jerk back as you strike the ball … you will not get a lot of power on the shot. Make sure your body weight is moving forward and through the shot, and that you land on the kicking foot.

The only real difference between a pass and a shot is that a pass goes to a player and a shot goes away from a player. Remember this when shooting on goal … or you will find that all of your shots end up in the goalkeeper’s hands. Shoot at the open parts of the net!

Coaching Points:

1.Listen for the sound of a ball being struck correctly … it has a distinct sound.
2.Make sure that both the dominant foot and the non-dominant foot are being used. DO NOT run around the ball to get into position to use your dominant foot … you won’t have that kind of time in a game situation. Practice, practice, practice with your non-dominant foot.
3.Have someone watch you from the side … that way they can see your knee placement over the ball, the ankle lock, and the follow through.
4.Set the ball up outside of your footprints in order to make space for yourself to shoot.
5.DO NOT set up a shot by stopping the ball and then taking two steps back in order to run at it. Never let that bad habit have a chance to form.

(Sources: George Lasher, Youth Soccer Coaching-Long Island, Soccer-Coach-L Coaching Manual Collective)